If you ask someone about the Toronto Raptors and playoffs, you'll hear them say that the Raptors choke. The Raptors have been really poor in the playoffs, but they have a chance to get rid of a feisty Milwaukee Bucks team. Raptors players have mentioned that dealing with the Bucks length has been an issue, but they need to take care of business Thursday night on the road. Betting sites have the Bucks listed at 1.5 point favorites in this game.
Balanced Scoring for Toronto
The Toronto Raptors have two guards who can get their own buckets in DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
The big key for them as a group is that they have to have a balanced scoring attack. The points can't all come from DeMar and Kyle, and neither can the shots. They have plenty of talent with Serge Ibaka, DeMarre Carroll, and even Valanciunas who can all hit shots and score within the system.
Milwaukee needs to hit shots
In the games Milwaukee has won, one thing is clear. They held the Raptors to bad outside shooting, and they took efficient shots. In game 3, the Bucks shot 52 percent from the field and the three-point line. They have to hit these shots if they want to take this to a game 7. A lot of that responsibility falls on Khris Middleton. He is the sharpshooter in their corner, and he needs to pick up the slack that others don't have.
Bench production
Bench production from both sides is enormous in this game. The Bucks have a noticeably better bench, and they need to play like it. When Greg Monroe and Matthew Dellavedova come in the game, they need to look to score and run the score up as much as they can. The starters for the Bucks may struggle sometimes, but it's the bench and the few players who will see minutes when Lowry and DeRozan are out that need to pick it up.
The same goes for Toronto. When Giannis is out, and Middleton and Brogdon need rest, the Raptors need to score off the bench. PJ Tucker and Delon Wright will be the X-factors in this game for the Raptors. PJ can sometimes go unnoticed, but he and Delon need to be in attack mode early on and set a tone for the match.
Two different styles
The Bucks have incredible length and can clog up space on the floor, but when the Raptors are moving, they are dangerous. If the Raptors have to have DeRozan shooting the ball 25 times from mid-range, then they will surely be in trouble. But if Lowry can get the ball moving around they will get easy looks at the basket.
